The penitentiary was immediately put on a lockdown while investigators from the state police, Marion County Sheriff's Office and medical examiner's office interviewed witnesses. They determined he had been killed and zeroed in on his cellmate, Bjork.

Details on the manner and cause of death have not been released.

Akins was convicted of murder back in 2008. According to prison records, his earliest release date would have been in 2022.

According to an Oregonian story about his original crime, Akins was charged for murdering a Milwaukie woman in 1994, although he wasn't convicted until 14 years later.